James Cameron’s Most Epic Films

We look at the best from director James Cameron.

by Editor Jan 14th, 2011

A hundred years from now, when the evolution of film is being taught in schools, James Cameron will be regarded as one of the greatest pioneers the art has ever seen. A self-made juggernaut of success and technologically progressive accomplishment, Cameron has recreated the Titanic, taken us to alien worlds and blown our minds wide open with new extra-terrestrial species, some of which existing beneath the surface of our own oceans. The unprecedented popularity of his films have easily made Cameron the single most successful filmmaker of all time, and with a slew of projects on the horizon he’s showing no sign of slowing!

Sanctum 3D finds Cameron once again submerging the watery depths, in which an underwater cave diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to the unexplored and least accessible cave system in the world. The thrilling adventure will unfold in theaters on February 4, and to gear up for another new favorite we’re taking a look at James Cameron’s Most Epic Films.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

There’s little question among even the most casual of fans as to what the best Terminator film is. In this pop culture phenomenon Arnold Schwarzenegger reverses his role as the ultimate killing machine to become John Connor’s protector against a more advanced Terminator – one that can shapeshift and mimic its prey. Linda Hamilton toughens up mother-of-the-savior Sarah Connor for the fight against the future with her son, the leader-to-be of the resistance and the last hope for mankind. With groundbreaking special effects and a career-peaking Guns N’ Roses on board for the soundtrack, T2 was an unstoppable force that still thrills to this day.

The Abyss (1989)

Before taking us to the majestic alien worlds of Pandora or sinking the Titanic all over again, James Cameron made magic with this science fiction horror film. The crew of a new, experimental submersion machine investigating a mysterious submarine crash encounters an alien species that may be hostile or friendly – it’s hard to tell from the ocean floor. Paranoid delusions and secret sub-missions lead to a volatile underwater environment, where the danger between crewmates may eclipse that of the alien forms lurking outside. We know very little about these luminescent space-butterflies that sought refuge in the bottom of the ocean, but their brilliantly colorful beauty, ability to manipulate water and apparently delicate nature makes them fascinating creatures. Leave it to James Cameron to captivate us with yet another new species of utterly fascinating quality. Brilliantly shot and fantastically played, Abyss is a must-see for any Cameron fan.

Titanic (1997)

This epically massive re-telling of the first and final voyage of the Titanic in 1912 was a romantic milestone of mid-nineties cinema, obliterating previous box-office records and catapulting the doomed love of Jack (Leo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslett) into the hearts of millions, many of who made repeated trips to the theater to experience the magic all over again. A cost of more than $200 million, Titanic ranked as the most expensive film in Hollywood history at the time, as well as the most successful. Writer-director James Cameron employed groundbreaking digital special effects for the production, which spanned eight decades and recreated entire sections of the infamous luxury liner in astonishing detail.

Aliens (1986)

Moving from the horror-suspense of the first film, Aliens takes on a more action-adventure tone as Ellen Ripley awakes on the ship Nostromo from cryogenic stasis half a century after her ordeal, the only survivor of the horrendous attack of acid-blooded exoskeletal monsters with a fondness for turning humans into incubators for their chest-bursting offspring. Ripley is recruited to aid a team of tough, rugged space marines on a rescue mission to an alien planet to find out if there are aliens or survivors. Soon Ripley finds herself face to face with her nightmare once again, captivating audiences and launching the early careers of several future stars including Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton and Paul Reiser.

Avatar (2009)

James Cameron’s opus is the single most epic film in the history of cinema, approaching $3 billion in worldwide revenue and making leaps and bounds in 3D technology and cinematography. Jake (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic war veteran in the future who is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited not only by an incredible diversity of beautiful and deadly ammonia-breathing life forms, but also by the Na’vi, a blue-bodied humanoid species of forest-dwellers with an intense spiritual connection with the world around them. The Na’vi create symbiotic connections with other living beings through a sort of raw-nerve outlet connection through their tales, and worship an Earth-mother goddess called Eywa. The Earthlings find themselves at odds with each other and the alien culture as military and corporate forces teaming up to mine the planet’s vast resource of a precious metal – unobtainium – set about destroying the sacred forests of the Na’vi. The wounded ex-marine develops compassion for the locals, eventually rising up to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival.